Quiet
by Et Gemitus Mortis
Summary: "Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness." After the Avatar left her little home in the Foggy Swamp, Toph gets a somewhat unexpected visitor.


**Author's Note****: Oh! I return. I've been keeping up with the series and well, I got pretty damn sentimental when I saw Toph in the last couple of episodes of LoK. It also brought a wave of angst and a serious slap in the face. It's a short thing with some spoilers in the writing, nothing too revealing though. A bittersweet short story for Kuseron and Toph. biteme**

**- Jex/EGM**

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><p>"Finally! Some peace and quiet!" A chuckle followed her words and faintly her lips tipped up. Some would call her senile for what she heard. There wasn't supposed to be the voices of the dead in your head, but she knew better. He was a spirit now but not just any regular spirit.<p>

"Peace and quiet is too easy for you, Toph," She could not sense him physically, much like it used to be when he was alive. His footsteps had always been light, lighter than his son's, that much was sure. "And you know that." He was there though. Barely felt, but the Spirit World's connection here was strong.

"I can dream, can't I?" She quickly seated herself on a small boulder by the fire, frowning a bit. Korra could have, at least, gathered some mushrooms. Then again, she was trying to show her what she needed to. Plus, she was out of her hair now. That was all apart of the somewhat thought through plan.

He still sounded young. Not like when he was with her after Republic City was made. No, this sounded like him when they were still young and growing. "Hey," A cool sensation hit her cheeks and she blinked her sightless eyes. "You know I hate it when you frown."

"Haven't you always, Kuseron?" She could imagine that he was smiling at her, the one smile that Katara had often described to her when she asked. _His smile is soft and small, but it shows a deep concern and care for you, Toph._ "You always did have a big heart for such a strict and dark man."

"I won't tell a lie. I do," _And it was the death of you._ She felt the coolness leave her face and a sigh escape the spirit. He was worried for her. His tone carried volumes, the cold voice that she had learned to read so easily. "You've been out here a long while, Toph, what exactly are you doing?"

"Finding enlightenment—" Another laugh came from him. Kuseron had never believed much in that, even with his connections to the spirit, Murmur, the one that had given him his bending abilities. The enigmatic Shadowbender was only left as a spirit now, guiding the next Shadowbender, their son: Kotar. "What? You don't think I can?"

There was a shuffling sound. "Nah, I think you can, you're already connected to the world as it is…" She felt his movements like he had solidified into an actual presence. He sat across from her, the fire between them. "I've been watching the kids; they seem to be doing all right for themselves, although… This Kuvira woman looks like a snake ready to strike."

"Don't go spouting your Spirit-y mumbo jumbo at me, Kuseron," His hands flashed up in a shrugging motion and she relaxed back against the ground. "I know that it'll sort itself out eventually."

"As you say, love," He stoked the fire and silence ensued for a little. It was almost dreadful to here. They used to chat each other's ears off on a good day. She shifted, head tilting in his direction, before she lifted her voice. "Did you know Lin and Suyin made up? Finally after all this time?"

A rumble of surprise left him. Toph could take that as a _no_. She knew he could hardly appear anywhere that did not have a strong link to the Spirit World. Kotar must not have cared to catch up with his sisters or he was as dense as rock. She was glad he wasn't here. He had been a handful to deal with as well after she found him washed up on shore near a small fishing town. "No, I didn't. Kotar's been… _different_ since the events with Vaatu. The darker spirit that was in us is gone, thanks to Vaatu, but as you know, he couldn't bend for nearly a year."

"He was disheartened, I get it. Just wished he hadn't whined about it all the time," She grumbled. Kuseron knew though that she cared greatly for the boy. Otherwise, she would have never dealt with him so long… Kotar had become a rock after the death of Kuseron when they were still young. The quiet boy had always cared too much, and while he lived on the streets after his father's death, he always came back to them when he had been lonely. The boy had grown to be an almost exact carbon copy of his father, except he was much more stubborn, but friendly and outgoing when it required him to be, especially with his child. "But it's good to know I helped him get back on his feet."

"I'm glad you did," It was an honest statement. "It looks like the Avatar needed the help, even if it was brief." The moment he stood was the moment she knew he was being summoned off to wherever. Probably to Kotar, who was cutting the familiar, safe presence out of her current residence. She knew he'd be back. Kuseron always did stop by at some point.

"Oh. Go on! No need to dote on an old woman like me." There was another laugh from the Spirit of the Shadowbender. "What?"

"Stubborn as a rock, always hiding your true feelings," He mused. Toph rolled up to glare sightlessly at the Spirit and huffed in response. "I'll be back, love. I'll let you get back to your _peace and quiet_ now."

He was gone, but there was a faint smile left on her lips.


End file.
